Dec. 2001
Bluebeard is the autobiography of Rabo Karabekian, a fictional Armenian pioneer of the American Expressionist school of painting. He weaves tales of both the past and present into one, sometimes sounding more like a collection of anecdotes than memoirs. However mixed the result, it is an enjoyable read and an entertaining revelation of the anguished mind of an artist who, fictionally at least, befriended the likes of Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko. The ending is truly uplifting.

Nov. 2001
First published in 1902, Joseph Conrad's tale of Marlow's trip up an African river to recover Kurtz, a wayward Ivory trade man, was later the basis for the movie Apocalypse Now. It's a short book but its age brings with it a slightly different vocabulary and syntax that slows your reading significantly. I didn't read this in high school like so many people I know did, which is a good thing since I barely had the attention span for it at age 26. I would recommend it only to say you've read it.

Nov. 2001
Loaned to me by Brad, my cousin, this is a great autobiographical account of growing up as David Sedaris. From the opening chapter until almost the very end, it's packed with hilarious, too-funny-to-be-true-but-they-are-true stories from his childhood. The last 40 pages are slightly less upbeat or funny, but are included for good reason. Sedaris has a superb command of language and can turn a phrase as well as anyone I've ever read.

Nov. 2001
A book by Russell Banks that should be made into a movie. Christina loaned me this one and I read it quickly. Russell Banks also wrote The Sweet Hereafter, which was made into a movie. In any case, I'd be really surprised if this book weren't already optioned to be made into a film. Recommended as engaging, fun, adventurous reading.

Nov. 2001
Another book loaned to me by Christina, this one was read in one sitting: one half on the plane from Houston to Seattle, the other half on the bus from Seattle to Vancouver. It's an engrossing tale of incest told through the eyes of a young Dover boy. It was made into a film by Tim Roth, his directorial debut.